1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of wireless communication devices and, more particularly, to remotely controlling wireless communication devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
The complexity of mobile telephony devices continues to increase with the geometric growth of mobile device usage. It is typical for mobile devices to include configurable ring tones, call waiting, three way calling, one or more silent call indicators, speed dialing, voice command functionality, voice messaging, extensive phone book entries, and the like. Further, mobile devices can include video games, task management and scheduling tools, a wireless Web browser, e-mail options, video cameras, global positioning system (GPS) location mechanisms, and other features previously reserved for dedicated hardware devices. All of these functions and features can be contained within a tiny device, which often is operated by a user who has difficulty setting the correct time on his or her automobile stereo, let alone a sophisticated communication device.
Accordingly, many users of mobile devices are unable to properly utilize even basic features of their mobile devices without help. Worse, these novice users can often inadvertently configure their mobile devices in a manner which renders the device inconvenient or impossible to use. For example, a user can mistakenly configure a phone to ring silently, so that no indicator alerts the user of incoming calls. Consequently, a methodology is needed by which the configuration, functions, and features of a mobile device can be remotely manipulated.
Past endeavors in remotely manipulating mobile devices have relied upon rudimentary operations to control a tiny subset of the functions and features of the controlled device. For example, Dual Tone Multi-Frequency (DTMF) commands can be conveyed to a remotely located mobile device to trigger the dialing of an encoded telephone number. In another example, a voice command can be conveyed to the mobile device and thereafter handled as though the voice command was locally provided. In still another example, a textual message can be conveyed to and displayed upon the mobile device. Each of these techniques, however, results in extremely limited control of the mobile device and can require a controller to perform non-intuitive actions. Further, each of the past remote control techniques is implemented in a proprietary manner for a specific mobile telephony platform. No known existing devices substantially or fully access the capabilities of a mobile device from a remotely located device. Nor does a platform independent system exist that provides an intuitive interface for a controller to remotely manipulate a controlled mobile device.